How to Ask Questions in French with Ease

There are five main ways to ask questions in French. Today we’re going to cover all of them – with example sentences! As you know, questions are an important part of everyday French speech. Using these tips, plus reading up on how to sounds more fluent, can enhance your conversations in French.

We’re going to start with yes-no questions then cover more advanced, open-ended questions.​

1. ADJUST YOUR INTONATION

In both French and English, you can make any statement into a question by simply raising the tone of your voice near the end of the sentence. This is known as an inflection.

Look at the difference between these two sentences in English. Say them out loud for the full effect:

You’re 21.
You’re 21?​

In French, we do the same thing:

Tu es prof.
You’re a teacher.​

Tu es prof ?
You’re a teacher?

Il habite à Paris ?
He lives in Paris?

Inflection is one of the easiest ways to make questions in French. We use it everyday, so abuse this method!

2. USING EST-CE QUE

Another common way of asking questions in French is by using the phrase est-ce que at the start of the sentence (pronounced ess-uh-kuh or ess-kuh). I find this to be the second easiest method, after adjusting your intonation.